The Department of Disease Control, a division of the Thai Ministry of Public Health, recently reported that the number of pink eye (conjunctivitis) patients (from 1 Jan-1 Sep 2014) has increased to 160 906 cases from all 77 provinces of Thailand. The estimated attack rate was 253 per 100 000 in the overall population. Most cases were between the ages of 35-45 (12.4 per cent), followed by cases in the age groups 45-54 and 25-34. The 5 provinces in Thailand with the highest rate are Ubon Ratchathani (827 cases per 100 000), followed by Ranong, Amnat Charoen, Pattani, and Phatthalung. Ubon Ratchathani and Amnat Charoen are contiguous provinces located in the northeast, while the remaining 3 are southern provinces.

Coxsackievirus A24 has been identified as the etiologic agent of the outbreak.

Conjunctivitis caused by viruses can be extremely contagious. Common viral agents are of the adenovirus, enterovirus, and coxsackievirus species. Infections are common during the rainy season in Thailand (June-September). In addition to the redness of the transparent membrane that covers the white part of the eyeball (conjunctiva), symptoms may include swelling, irritation, pus and mucus discharge. Outbreaks often are associated with close contact in community settings such as schools, day care, and swimming pools. Although the infection is self-limited, good hand-washing hygiene and avoiding contact and sharing of personal items with infected individuals during the symptomatic phase are important factors in limiting its spread. For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

You can adjust all of your cookie settings by navigating the tabs on the left hand side.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

disable

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.